


Ninja of the Void

by RoSH (RoSH95)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Ankokugakure (Village Hidden in Darkness), Canon Rewrite, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family, Headcannons Galore, Land of Void, M/M, Multi, Naruto is awesome, Ninja, Non-human characters, OCs fuck up everything, POV Original Character, POV Outsider, Pack Family, Sakura kicks so much ass, Sasuke is dumb, lets fuck up the storyline, no regrets, ships galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:51:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5538827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoSH95/pseuds/RoSH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Land of Void is generally thought to be a place that produces strange—if powerful—shinobi. They would have to, the average outsider supposes, with the terrifying monsters that roam their lands. What the average outsider doesn’t know, however, is that those “terrifying monsters” are often shinobi of Ankokugakure. For the Land of Void is ruled by Mushi that carry the Essence of Void in their veins.<br/>~<br/>Himura Akane feels like an outcast, even among her fellow shinobi. She is a Mushi, and no matter what she does, she will never be accepted by Humanity. <br/>Uchiha Yukiko doesn't want to join a team; doesn't want to develop bonds with other people. Unfortunately for her, fate has other ideas.<br/>Kuroyashi Rin feels uncomfortable, repulsed, by emotions and physical contact. It makes it easy for him to be a shinobi, but that doesn't mean he likes it.</p>
<p>Three outcast children, shoved into a team and told to work together... this could either be a disaster or a miracle waiting to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Wow okay so I finally went back and fixed this piece of shit. Maybe now I can get some piece of mind.
> 
> So this story has been stewing in the back of my head for the better part of about 10 years. Akane and Yukiko (originally named Kyuuka and Sasukera) are both characters I created a long time ago, both for the purpose of shipping them with Sasuke because my tiny eleven year old brain had a huge crush on the jackass and couldn't comprehend the fact that he is a JACKASS and I really should hate his guts.
> 
> ANYWAYS, I fleshed the girls out (a LOT) and added Rin (originally named Sumizome) to their team because, FEELINGS. And there we have it. And then I decided to post the piece of crap I wrote because I was sick of it sitting in a folder, gathering dust. But then I was mad at myself for posting it because IT WAS SO BAD. And I sat around feeling really angry about it, but unable to do anything about it (because college is HELL), until I finally buckled down and fixed it.
> 
> This is the revision.
> 
> Have fun!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Prologue

The Land of Void is generally thought to be a place that produces strange—if powerful—shinobi. They would have to, the average outsider supposes, with the terrifying monsters that roam their lands. What the average outsider doesn’t know, however, is that those “terrifying monsters” are often shinobi of Ankokugakure. For the Land of Void is ruled by Mushi that carry the Essence of Void in their veins.

Himura Kurokhan is one such Shinobi. In fact, he is the Kuronoo, the strongest of all Yang blooded Mushi—the Yang half of the Balance. Himura Shirayuki, Kurokhan’s life partner and pack mate, is another such Shinobi; for she is the Howaitokuin, the Yin half of the Balance.

Together, they lead other Mushi towards a future where they may coincide with humanity. After all, every Mushi has a humanity of their own.

~

A young girl stands at the edge of the treeline, impossibly still, wide violet eyes fixed on the gate. She doesn’t move, even when a door slams unexpectedly up the street and a baby starts screaming. She doesn’t even twitch.

Thirty minutes pass of her simply standing there silently, one palm pressed to the oak tree next to her and the other fisted into the hem of her simple, white tunic. Her brilliantly red hair stands out among the greens and browns of the trees; among the blacks and greys of other children. The long, loose sleeves of her tunic are bunched at the elbow of the hand against the tree, revealing glittering designs on the skin of her forearm.

There are other children playing in the street near the trees, but she does not acknowledge them, and they leave her be. There are times that she wishes she could join their games, if only to abate the anxiety pulsing through her veins. But she isn’t human. They may tolerate, even enjoy, her presence, but she can never hope to be fully accepted by them.

She blinks as a man strides through the gate, the first movement she has made in almost an hour. His long black hair is falling out of its ponytail, matted with leaves and other forest matter. His broad shoulders are high and tight with stress, but they relax marginally when he spots the girl as she takes two hesitant steps towards him.

“Nene,” he calls, and she scrambles to go to him.

“Ichinii!” she cries, flinging her arms around his waist and doing her best to wrap around him like an octopus. Her tunic loosens slips off one shoulder as she does, and there are even more designs littered across her shoulder.

“As you can see, Akane, I’m fine,” the man says, his eyes warm and fond as he looks down at her, carding his fingers through her scarlet hair and adjusting her tunic, so it covers her heavily marked skin. “It was just a border patrol. I wasn’t even gone long.”

“I always worry when you’re gone, Oniisama,” Akane says, peering up at him with wide eyes.

Ichiro chuckles, leaning down to press a kiss against her hair before straightening up and looking around with narrowed eyes.

“Are you here alone?” he asks.

Akane shakes her head. “Rei-neechan and Konii came too, but Kaasan wanted them to go to the market, so they let me stay and watch the gate.”

“Well, we best collect them before going home,” Ichiro says, turning and squatting in one fluid motion to allow her to climb on his back, which she does with little grace. “Shall we take the short route or the long route?”

“I wanna fly!” Akane squeals, accidentally pulling his hair in her excitement.

“As you wish, Nene-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave kudos and a comment if you like the story!! Comments are the lifeblood of authors, so even if its just an "I love your story!" leave a comment anyways!!


	2. A Misfit Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years later, the team finally meets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the first official chapter of this piece of shit fanfic that I can't believe I wrote.
> 
> A few terms that you may be unfamiliar with:  
> Mushi - the entities inhabiting the Land of Void. There are two types; Yang-bloods and Yin-bloods (of which the former is far more common), from which there are also two archetypes; humanoid and beast. The most powerful Mushi have both a humanoid and beast form.  
> Yang-bloods - Mushi that are filled with yang chakra. They are physically bigger and more powerful than Yin-bloods, and are often very aggressive.  
> Yin-bloods - Mushi that are filled with yin chakra. Though most people assume that Yin-bloods are the more passive of the two, Yin-bloods are actually the most vicious and spiritually powerful. They are also very rare, as only fifteen percent of the Mushi population are Yin-bloods.  
> Kuronoo - the "Black King" that rules the Land of Void. They are the most powerful of the Yang-bloods. The current Kuronoo is Himura Kurokhan, Akane's grandfather.  
> Howaitokuin - the "White Queen" that rules the Land of Void. They are the most powerful of the Yin-bloods. The current Howaitokuin is Himura Shirayuki, Akane's grandmother.  
> Ankokugakure - the Village Hidden in the Shadow. This is the shinobi village in the Land of Void.  
> Munashiikage - the Kage of the the Land of Void.
> 
> That's all for now. Have fun, losers!

Kuroyashi Kohaku stands in front of his team for the foreseeable future, assessing them. He’s been given this team for his little brother, Rin’s Chunin exams in four months. As both Rin and Kohaku were training in the mountains during graduation, Rin is late for a team, and they’ve given him two other solo-nin to complete the team.

Himura Akane is a recently minted Jounin at only thirteen years of age, one of the most talented shinobi Ankokugakure has produced in generations. Its not terribly surprising, considering that the Himura clan is lead by some of the most powerful and terrifying Mushi in the land. Kohaku honestly isn’t sure why she was put on his team, considering she could learn more from a more experienced shinobi. The only thing he can think of is that she’s of similar age to Rin.

Akane stands at a measly five foot, four, with scarlet red hair braided over her right shoulder. She wears the standard black flak jacket, though she has left it open, revealing the deep purple tank top she’s wearing underneath. Her upper arms and shoulders are left bare, displaying a multitude of seals she has inked on her skin and disappearing beneath the grey bandages she has wrapped around her forearms.

Uchiha Yukiko is an outsider, originally from the Land of Fire, before her family moved suddenly, her father becoming an ambassador between villages. She lost her teammates in her own Chunin exams two years ago and hasn’t been part of a long-term team since. She was requested to be part of Kohaku’s team due to her similar age to Akane and Rin, as well as her skill as a medic-nin.

Yukiko is roughly the same height as Akane, her jet black hair worn in messy space buns on either side of her head. Her teal colored shirt is sliding off one shoulder and her black skirt has practical slits up both sides for mobility.

Both of them are far out of Rin’s league, but perhaps the Munashiikage is hoping he’ll learn from them and become a better shinobi because of it.

Kohaku rakes his eyes over his team, and notices something odd. Rin—his normally stoic and emotionless little brother—is watching Akane with stars in his scarlet eyes as she dictates a story for him—a battle story going by the way she waves her arms around wildly for emphasis, the seals on her arms glinting with every movement. Rin is nodding along attentively, interrupting every so often to ask a question. It’s the most engaged he’s been with another person since… well. _Ever_.

Even Yukiko, who is said to be aloof among most people, is watching them with silent hawk eyes, listening attentively.

Kohaku tunes in just in time to hear Akane say, “—and then Oniisama was all like, ‘I meant to do that,’—like all those explosions were _totally_ part of his plan—at which point the roof collapses behind him and the whole building is just like _pfffffsht_ , just fucking _gone_.”

“And then what did Ichiro-san do?” Rin asks.

Akane snickers into her fist, her eyes twinkling as she says, “He just _stood_ there, with this really blank and bewildered expression on his face. Tainii and Oneesan had to clean up the rest of the bandits because he was just… _out of commission_. It was _hilarious_.”

“And what about you?” Rin questions her, leaning forward eagerly, the neck of his white shirt dipping to reveal his collar bones.

“Well, Niichan was supposed to be watching me—so don’t tell anyone—but I climbed a tree and we fucked with those assholes as they were fleeing,” Akane grins wickedly. “I imitated the cries of a Mushi pack on the hunt while Niichan provided spooky shadows stalking them. One guy shat his pants he was so scared!”

Rin coughs out a sort of startled laugh, before he gets himself back under control and his expression shuts down as he rapidly retreats emotionally. Akane doesn’t seem to notice—or if she does, she doesn’t care—she just cackles hysterically, convulsing next to him but very carefully never touching him.

Kohaku wonders if she’s observant enough to have noticed Rin’s aversion to touch or if she’s always this careful around new people. Kohaku doesn’t think she herself has an aversion to physical contact—she seems to be a very tactile person, from what he’s observed.

Rin does look a little uncomfortable though, whether because of his own retreat of Akane’s emoting, so Kohaku decides it’s time to intervene.

“Himura-kun, if you would calm yourself, I’d like to get this show on the road,” Kohaku says dryly.

Akane smothers herself into submission, covering her mouth and gasping herself from hysterics. She quickly withdraws her hand and heaves in a breath, releasing it in a drawn-out sigh.

She grins. “Sorry, Sensei,” she says, completely unapologetically.

Kohaku decides not to call her out on it, but he does raise an unconvinced eyebrow at her. “My name is Kuroyashi Kohaku,” he introduces himself. “I will be your Jounin Sensei for the next foreseeable future. Why don’t you each introduce yourselves with your name and rank, what you specialize in, and something you hope to accomplish with this team, so we can all get to know each other.”

Yukiko wrinkles her nose very slightly in distaste, turning her body away from her teammates. Akane’s face remains open, amusement flitting across her features, but she doesn’t speak. Rin’s expression doesn’t change, but his shoulders hunch minutely.

Kohaku huffs out with exasperation. “Himura-kun, why don’t you go first?” he says, gesturing to Akane from where she stands between her teammates.

Akane nods, her face suddenly serious, reminding him that she too, is a Jounin. “I’m Himura Akane,” she says. “I’m a Jounin Yin-blood. I specialize in ninjutsu and power-based taijutsu, and I’m looking to form a pack.”

Yukiko blinks, surprise and disgust flooding her expression. “You’re a Mushi?” she spits.

To her credit, Akane doesn’t look offended in the slightest. “The first Yin-blood since the Onnakachou,” she confirms. “Tousan says I might be as powerful as Kachousama someday.”

“What’s the difference between Yin-bloods and Yang-bloods?” Yukiko snarls, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “You’re all monsters anyways.”

Akane doesn’t take the bait. “How long have you been in Ankoku?” she asks instead, head tilting curiously.

“Six years,” Yukiko sniffs. “Chichui is the ambassador of Konoha.”

“Well, I suppose I can forgive your ignorance, then,” Akane says with a shrug. “Mushi are spiritually ascended beings, life in its purest form. I’ll grant you that Yang Mushi are often violent and unpredictable but we all have humanity inside us. Like humans, there are both good and bad Mushi, and some are better or worse than others. You can’t judge all Mushi just by the bad ones. Besides, the Land of Void is _governed_ by Mushi. Didn’t you know that?”

“The _Munashiikage_ is the leader of Ankoku,” Yukiko protests.

“Yes,” Akane says. “But Ankoku is _not_ the Land of Void. In your Konoha, who funds the shinobi?”

“The Daimyo, of course,” Yukiko replies.

“We don’t have a Daimyo,” Akane explains. “We have Kuronoo and Howaitokuin, who provide funding in addition to shinobi. Mushi are part of the population here. Some of them are civilians, and you wouldn’t even know they were Mushi if they didn’t tell you.” Her face shifts and her tone turns dark and commanding. “Get used to it.”

Yukiko pales and her mouth snaps shut. She turns sharply away from Akane, her lips pressed in a tight line and her shoulders pulled up nearly to her ears. Akane stares after her a moment longer, something like regret flashing in her eyes, before she too turns away from her teammate.

“Why don’t you go next, Rin?” Kohaku suggests, when neither girl says anything more.

“Kuroyashi Rin,” he says promptly. “Genin. I specialize in speed-based taijutsu and swordsmanship. I just want to get through my Chunin exams.” Kohaku expects that to be the end of it, already turning towards Yukiko, but Rin speaks again, looking directly at Akane. “For the record, I have nothing against Mushi. What you are doesn’t dictate _who_ you are.”

Kohaku stares. Rin has said more words to Akane in twenty minutes than he has to most people in his entire life; has showed more emotion and vulnerability to her than he has to anyone other than Kohaku. Kohaku is used to dealing with Rin who sometimes says a total of two words to Kohaku in a day. He’s used to dealing with Rin who refuses to emote to the point that Kohaku has learned his tells through the barest changes in his body language. He doesn’t know what to do with _this_.

Akane’s entire expression has softened to something surprised and sad and fond all at once. She almost looks like she might hug Rin, but she doesn’t.

“Thank you, Rin,” she says instead, soft and sincere.

Kohaku waits, in case Rin is about to surprise him a third time today, but he seems to have withdrawn again, though he looks pleased rather than uncomfortable this time.

“Well, Uchiha-kun, it looks like you’re last,” Kohaku says.

Yukiko glares and purses her lips tighter before she finally says, “I’m Uchiha Yukiko, a Chunin. I specialize in medical ninjutsu, and I just want to get through this assignment so I can go back to my solitary life.”

“Well,” Kohaku says once she’s finished, “now that we’re all acquainted, we’re going to start with a few team building exercises.”

Rin sends him a vaguely betrayed look, while Yukiko shoots daggers from her eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Kohaku says. “It’ll be fun! Today, we’re playing ninja tag. I’ll be it, and the three of you have to work together to keep me from tagging you. If even one of you is tagged, you all lose.”

None of them go so far as to groan, but even Akane looks displeased.

Kohaku raises his eyebrows. “Unless you’d prefer to run one hundred laps around the outside of the village?” he asks.

“ _I_ would,” Yukiko mutters under her breath.

Akane and Rin exchange looks before seemingly coming to a decision. They both shunshin away from the group, their presence rapidly disappearing into the trees. Yukiko remains behind.

“That is _not_ the point of the exercise!” Kohaku yells after them.

He feels a headache approaching, along with a premonition of doom.

~

Kohaku walks home with Rin that night, feeling at least mildly hopeful for his team. They have a long way to go before they’re ready to take the exam for Rin, but he thinks they might actually be able to do it. Rin and Akane, at the very least, seem to have developed a quick bond, easily reading each other’s nonverbal tells and adapting their movements to fit more easily with the other.

Yukiko, on the other hand, spent most of the time working more _against_ her teammates than with them, and Kohaku thinks that must be a result of so many years spent alone. He hopes the team will be good for her, if she ever lets her walls down.

“What do you think of the team?” Kohaku asks his younger brother.

Rin hums, reaching up to brush ash blond hair out of his eyes. “Akane’s alright,” he says after a pause. “Yukiko seems lonely.”

“She does,” Kohaku agrees. “You seemed to connect very easily with Akane, though.”

“Yes,” Rin says. “She is… comfortable to be around.”

Kohaku acknowledges him with a hum. “Are you excited for your first mission?”

Rin shrugs and replies, “I guess.”

“I have no idea what they’ll give us,” Kohaku muses. “Considering our team is made up of two Jounin, it should technically be an A rank, but seeing as you are a Genin, they may start us off with a C rank.”

“You know I am capable of an A rank,” Rin says with a frown.

“ _I_ know that, but you still have to prove it to everyone else,” Kohaku says. “Show them you can easily handle a C rank, and they’ll be drowning us in B ranks in no time.”

“Okay,” Rin says, still frowning.

Kohaku smiles fondly, and directs them home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember! Comments are the lifeblood of authors, so if you like this, LEAVE ME A COMMENT!!! Even if its just an "I love your story!" your comments make my day, and make it easier for me to continue the story!

**Author's Note:**

> Something to keep in mind, while the amount of ships and pairings that happen in this story are HUGE in number, this story has more family/pack dynamic than it does romance.


End file.
